Flowing Ink
by goldsprite
Summary: The pen is placed on the paper. It glides across the page, creating tales of a young ninja with a demon sealed in his gut, a boy with the ability to see ghosts, a hero with no quirk but with just as much potential. A nostalgic smile spreads across her face. SI-as-Nana's-younger-sister.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**I don't own Reborn! It belongs to Akira Amano.**

* * *

_If you don't like where you are, move. You are not a tree._

* * *

She blinks back tears as she runs past the crowds of Takami.

Winter has arrived and the town is covered in a blanket of snow, making it look even more breathtaking. The trees are frosted over and glisten in the evening light like stars. A few mothers call out for their children to get inside the house. The sky is dyed in hues of pink and orange, merging together in graceful strokes. Dark blue creeps upwards from the edges of the horizon. But none of this registers as her previous conversation echoes in her mind.

_"B-but it's my dream to become a teacher!"_

_"This engagement will tighten the alliance between the Akisora and Fujisawa clans."_

_"I don't care about this stupid clan and it's stupid rules! All our 'great' clan contains is a bunch of tyrannical assholes and their bootlickers, such as yourself!"_

_Heavy breathing. Shock from the outburst._

_A sharp sting on the cheek._

_"H-how dare you!"_

_ Head held high._

_"And about that engagement, I refuse."_

_A calmer, more controlled voice._

_A big audience._

_"Sadashi of the Flaming Touch__, you are hereby disowned from the Akisora clan."_

She reaches the infamous Takami forest, the biggest inspiration for ghost stories in the small town. Ignoring the small scratches caused by thorns and branches, Sadashi stops when she is deep enough. A moment passes and she crumbles down onto the ground, sobs wracking her body.

_Why did you leave, Aneki?_

The snow under her melts a little and she sinks in, craving the sharp sting of the cold.

As hours pass, the tears on her face freeze. Something cold lands on her nose and she looks up to see that it is snowing. Her face lights up as she looks at the intricate pattern of the snowflake.

Her excitement dampens slightly as she shivers. She begins to regret not wearing something warmer when she catches sight of two glowing yellow eyes. She scrambles backward, mind drawing ridiculous conclusions about what it could be (she blames the horror movies).

Her eyes suddenly snap open as an idea pops into her brain.

_This should work. It worked in all those movies, right?_

She holds up a hand to the... thing. "THE POWER OF CHRIST COmpels... you..."

A furry white cat jumps out of the bushes. She slowly lowers her hand, feeling extremely dumb.

She starts to thank her lucky stars that no one is there to witness her actions when she hears a laugh. Sadashi covers her face with her hand.

_I just jinxed myself, didn't I?_

"Pfft... hahaha! I'm pretty sure you're the first one to react like that, kid!" The unknown red-haired woman falls onto the ground, holding her stomach.

Her cheeks turn an unhealthy shade of red and she sputters, waving her arms around in vain as the woman laughs harder.

The stranger finally stops, wiping away tears. "I'm sorry about that," she apologizes insincerely, "you're just too cute."

Sadashi's face flames and the redhead bursts into another round of laughter.

* * *

"So what are you doing out in this cold? It's dangerous to be out at this time of the night." The stranger, Hikari, asks her, voice still tinged with amusement.

She looks away, trying to formulate a proper excuse but Hikari assesses her actions immediately. Her eyes fill with sympathy. "Don't have a place to stay, huh? Ran away from home?" She asks, leaning forward.

Sadashi leans away. "Yes," she admits meekly, cheeks still pink. Technically, she did run away.

To avoid more questions, she stands up, shrugging off the layers of comforters cocooning her. "I'm sorry, but I have to go. I don't want to intrude any longer."

She opens the door to leave but a strong grip on her arm stops her. She turns back, flustered.

Hikari lets go of her and leans against the wall. Her grey eyes darken slightly and Sadashi ignores the whispers in her head_(curious, calculating, about to offer something)._

"I just opened a cafe," she says nonchalantly, "and I may or may not need a few helpers. The pay is good too."

Sadashi slowly turns towards her, mind piecing together what Hikari actually means. She brightens and sends her best smile to the redhead, who clears her throat and looks away, cheeks flushed.

"I'm very grateful, Hikari-san!" She bows deeply.

Said person claps her on the back and almost sends her tumbling.

_How does she have that much strength for such a lean person!?_

"It's okay," the other woman laughs, "it's just that, we girls need to stick together, ya know?"

_Liar_, her instincts whisper.

"Say," Hikari tilts her head, "how old are you?"

"Nineteen," She blurts out.

The redhead snorts. "Please, you look like you should still be in high school. Tell me your real age."

"Sixteen," she says, defeated.

"I was homeschooled," she adds before Hikari can ask anything.

Hikari sighs. "I'm gonna enroll you in Takami High and there is nothing you can do about it."

Sadashi doesn't say anything, mind immersed in memories of crowds, friends from another life and-and-

_Death._

She snaps to attention, heart thudding loudly and merely nods to whatever Hikari asks.

The redhead leaves the room and Sadashi curls into a ball on the couch.

"I thought it had stopped," she whispers.

* * *

**Akisora literally means bright(Aki) sky(sora). And no, it is not a reference to sky flames. Not at all...or is it? ;)**

**Takami is a fictional town I created for plot convenience. I will explain more about it as the story goes on.**

**And about my other ongoing stories, 'Battaglione' and 'Assistant Sensei?', I'll never abandon them! Heck, I didn't even reach the main plot in either of those!**

**I don't really know where I'm going with this, so forgive me if I take really long to update. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**I don't own Reborn! It belongs to Akira Amano.**

* * *

_A good mood is like a balloon. One prick is all it takes to ruin it._

* * *

**_One year later_**

"One cup of coffee with a dash of cream," she says softly as she places it in front of the customer. A nod of acknowledgment and she gives them one of her usual bright smiles. She sighs in defeat when they almost run away from the counter, cheeks flushed.

_Are my smiles really that scary?_

Sadashi rings up for the next person in line and catches sight of a tiny baby in a suit. A tiny briefcase is in his hands and he lugs it forward. Her heart melts.

She kneels down and picks him up. He looks even cuter up close, with big, black eyes and a tiny orange striped fedora with a chameleon on it.

(She ignores the niggling feeling of _familiarity_-)

"Are you lost?" She asks gently. The baby looks almost irritated for a second before the angelic smile comes back on his face. "No, I'm here for an espresso."

"Aww, sure," she coos at him when she realizes that his parents must have sent him to get their espresso to humor him. "One espresso, coming right up," she cheerfully exclaims. She starts the machine as she observes him curiously. "Why are you wearing a suit?" She asks in a sudden bout of randomness. He smirks.

"Because I'm in the mafia."

She stills as a scene flashes behind her eyes. A scene of a ginger-haired girl asking the same question to the exact same baby.

Her body goes on autopilot (espressos used to be her favorite drink from Before, she could probably make one in her sleep) as she contemplates the consequences of picking up Reborn and cooing at him. He's probably going to put a bullet through her head when she's asleep tonight. Panic fills her and she takes a deep breath. Her sister's advice echoes in her brain.

_ When you are in a situation you don't want to be in, ignore it._

She places the cup in Reborn's tiny, chubby hands and hesitates for a moment before shrugging. She's got nothing to lose if he's going to kill her anyway. "How cute!" She pats his head and smiles brightly. She is relieved when he doesn't run away like the others. Instead, he narrows his eyes.

"Be careful, okay?" She tells him as she ignores his twitching fingers.

He stares unnervingly at her for a moment before leaving.

Her shoulders sag and she goes to the staff room, taking off her labeled apron. Sadashi makes her best puppy dog eyes. "Please take over for me, Hikari-san?"

Hikari rolls her eyes but quietly puts on her apron and leaves the room, flicking Sadashi's nose.

* * *

Sadashi leaves the cafe, walking towards a building beside it. She enters it, making sure not to smile at the receptionist and instead gives her a friendly wave.

She trudges up the stairs and into her apartment. Her shoes are kicked off and she stumbles in, not bothering with the lights. She tiptoes past her cat, making sure not to wake him up. Her warm bed is waiting for her and she drops into its fluffy embrace, dozing off.

Her eyes snap open a minute later. She leaps up from the bed and towards the window, locking it securely. She reverts to her previous position, letting out a blissful sigh.

* * *

_What._

Her eyes widen as she looks at Reborn through the glass window of the cafe.

_I thought that was a one-time thing!_

But she smirks, because this time, it's not her problem.

She slings her bag over her shoulder and waves to Hikari, who shoos her away. As soon as she is out of the cafe, her shoulders hunch and her face bows down slightly. Her body language screams 'ignore me!'. Her feet barely make any sound on the pavement as she speeds up her pace and starts jogging. She makes eye contact with a boy_ talking_ to a _fish_ and she slows down, stopping right in front of him. They both stare at each other awkwardly for an uncomfortable amount of time before the boy fidgets nervously. "I- uh, I was, um-"

Her blank stare flusters him even more and she remembers the first time she met Hikari. Did she look like an idiot too?

_Whatever. _She sighs as she completely ignores him and continues her jog.

She makes sure to avoid eye contact with anyone else until she reaches Takami High.

She ducks into the classroom and takes her corner seat. The bell rings and the teacher enters the classroom, shushing the noisy class. Sadashi flips on her hood and shoves her earphones into her ear. She clicks the play button on her phone and her recording from the previous day starts playing. She listens as she doodles in her notebook.

Her voice stops for a few moments as she tries to remember the plot. Sadashi takes this time to observe her doodles and stifles a gasp as memories flash behind her eyes.

_(Stress, heavy breathing, migraines,_

_an outlet for it all, a world of fantasy,_

_the faint smell of ink, a fresh page turned)_

A lump forms in her throat, making it hard to breathe. She releases a harsh breath as a thought forms in her mind. _Maybe they exist here too!_

A genuine smile spreads across her face. Her cheeks hurt and it is then she realizes that this is the first time in her _(second)_life that she has ever smiled honestly.

She bounces excitedly and freezes when she notices that everyone's eyes are on her. Yamada-sensei looks at her, clear amusement on his face. "Does my subject really excite you that much, Sadashi-chan?"

She blinks slowly, not understanding. "I don't think it does, Yamada-sensei."

He lets out a laugh. "I already know you don't listen during class, but at least try to pretend that you're interested!"

She opens her mouth and closes it, before shrugging.

_Weird people._

* * *

She slings her bag over her shoulder, ready to leave the room to have her lunch when someone blocks her way. She looks up at the person, trying to remember his name so that she can tell him to get out of the way. "Sadashi-san," he rubs the back of his neck sheepishly as she stares at him questioningly.

"I've noticed that you get through all our tests very easily. So, could you please tutor me for the next one?"

"We have a test?"

He sweatdrops.

* * *

Kusabana Hoshita, karate club captain, Vice President of the student council and all-around nice guy, has a problem.

His grades have been steadily dropping as he focuses on the next karate tournament and it's only a matter of time before _they_ find out. He can clearly imagine their words.

_'I told you to choose someone else, Mori!"_

_'I knew you were completely useless!"_

_'Why didn't you listen to me, Mori? Your son is unfit to be-'_

He snaps out of his thoughts when he hears a clicking sound. His eyes flick towards the source and almost gapes. Sadashi, the one with the highest grades in Class 2-A, and also nicknamed 'Robot-Sadashi' due to her apathetic, blunt reactions to everything, actually has a _smile_ on her face. He blinks to make sure that he is not hallucinating.

He _has_ thought of asking her help before, but frankly, she terrifies him. Her expression is so blank that she looks like she'd probably stab you with a pen and not even bat an eyelash.

But today is different. She, for once, looks like she's in a good mood and that steels his resolve to approach her.

* * *

"Wait. You want _me_ to tutor you?"

"Yes, Sadashi-san."

"I'm sorry but I don't think I have enough time for that." She shoves past him, hungry and impatient. Her slight headache from the memories is also increasing.

He scrambles to catch up with her as she fast-walks away. "W-wait, please!"

Sadashi turns to him with fiery orange eyes and he cowers back, the worst of his nightmares coming true. "Look," she spits harshly, "I'm very tired and very hungry-"

He ducks his head retreats back into the class before she can even complete her sentence. Her brows furrow and she tilts her head, confused. She shrugs and starts to walk away.

* * *

She peeks at Stranger Dude's seat as she sneakily shifts in her chair. He is facing away from her and she cannot help the rush of guilt that floods her.

_ I shouldn't have been so harsh on him._

She finally catches sight of his face and wilts at the kicked-puppy look. The bell rings and she is the first one out of her seat, darting out of the classroom. She resolves to apologize to him the next day as she squeezes through the throngs of children, hastily escaping.

* * *

**I... don't actually have a beta. I use Grammarly! :)**

**And the reason why she is perceived as apathetic... well, everyone behaves differently when they are in a public place, right? Or am I making a fool out of myself and it's just me? **

**I usually don't know what expression to put on_(If I smile, will it look mocking? If I frown will people think it's directed towards them? Urgh, so frustrating)_ so my face just ends up being either completely blank or in a weird mix of emotions.**

**And about the quotes at the starting, anyone I tell them to doesn't freaking find them funny! Like, people, where is your sense of humor? (Or is it just me again? It probably is, isn't it?*sigh*)**

**Thank you to all those wonderful people out there that Favorited and Followed! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**I don't own Reborn! It belongs to Akira Amano.**

* * *

_My life feels like a test I didn't study for._

* * *

She gently grasps the warm cup of coffee in her hand, heading inside the classroom. Sadashi spots her target at the back of the class. His head is on the table, blue hood pulled up.

Sneaking over, she reaches towards him. His head snaps up seconds before the cup touches the desk, wide eyes landing on the brunette. She almost lets out a sound of surprise but instead schools her expression.

"S-sadashi-san?"

"Sorry," she says, as embarrassment curls in her chest. She walks away, turning around to avoid facing him, not wanting anyone to see her red face.

Sitting down, Sadashi shoves her ear buds in her ears, not noticing his flushed cheeks and tentative smile.

* * *

The cool air of the aircon hits her as she browses through the shelves. Her eyes flick around, frantically searching for a particular title.

"Sadashi-chan?"

She turns around. The store clerk stands there(Tanaka-san, her brain reminds her), a pleasant smile on her face. "Was there something in particular you were looking for?"

Sadashi hesitates. Shuffling nervously, she quietly asks, "Naruto?"

Tanaka-san gives her a blank look.

"Ah, never mind."

* * *

She breathes out, shoving her hands in her pockets. So they're not written.

She glances at the calendar as she exits the store. And probably never will be...unless?

Her eyes fall on the opposite shop advertising brushes and writing supplies and her lips twitch, mind already made up.

* * *

Sadashi flips the 'CLOSED' sign, simultaneously flicking on the lights with her other hand. It's 7 in the morning and a drowsy air covers the quiet town.

She sighs at the inkstains covering her hands. She'd been practicing for the past two weeks, yet still was clumsy enough to spill the ink over herself. Her drawing skills were average, nothing to be awed at but not too bad. She'd been improving due to constant practice, during which Hikari-san would curiously stare at her. She'd grin when Sadashi blotted the paper or fumbled with the ink bottle, but would always give her tips to steady her hand.

Shaking her head, she shuffles back to the counter. Her eyes flick to the clock which displays 7:14. She starts preparing the usual espresso and places it on the counter just as the bell at the door chimes. Reborn steps in, his usual cute briefcase at his side.

Her lips stretch into a bright grin as she leans over to place the cup in his tiny palms. Big, dark eyes meet Sadashi's as he takes it and turns away, preparing to sit at one of the tables.

"Good day, Reborn-chan!" She calls out, turning to the second customer who has arrived. He acknowledges her with a tip of his fedora.

Still reveling in the fact that he hadn't killed her in the past month, she grins brighter. The person in front of her stutters, choking and she drops the grin, not wanting to scare away another one.

* * *

**Sorry about the short chapter haha. I'm getting into fanfiction again so I'm taking it a bit slow. Thank you to everyone who's reviewed this story! I read them and they rlly made my day T_T u guys are the best! *hug***


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